The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Haryana chief secretary to file a detailed reply on the action taken against Jats involved in destruction of property while seeking reservation in the government jobs.

The Punjab and Haryana high court has directed the Haryana chief secretary to file a detailed reply on the action taken against Jats involved in destruction of property while seeking reservation in the government jobs.

The division bench comprising acting chief justice Jasbir Singh and justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa asked the chief secretary about ways to avoid destruction of public property in such cases.He also has to inform the court that if district officers were responsible for not controlling such situations, what action would be taken against them.

The bench also directed the chief secretary to put on record as to what action had been taken in the various FIRs lodged against the agitators and how many miscreants had been arrested so far. The state had lodged a total of 39 FIRs in the case.

The directions came during the hearing of petitions filed by Anti Corruption Association of India, an NGO, and a Hisar resident Ashwani Bhardwaj. The petitioners had submitted that general public was at the receiving end when such agitations took place as the protesters blocked rail and road traffic.

The petitioners had also sought directions to the state government to ensure safety of life and property of common man during such agitations and to take coercive steps for restraining agitators representing the interests of Jat community from indulging in destruction of public property and stopping railway and road routes in Hisar and other districts of Haryana. The case was adjourned for next hearing on August 29.